Cutting utensil



Dec. 13, 193s.- G, M, FARABQUGH 2,140,075

CUTTING UTENS IL Filed sept. 3,A 1936 Patented Dec. 13, 1938 y UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved cutting utensil and, moreparticularly, to a device for cutting potatoes and other vegetables, aswell as different kinds of fruit, into strips.

One object of the invention is to provide a cutting utensil which willpermit the ready cutting of potatoes in a highly eiiicient manner andwhich may be handled with the greatest of ease.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting utensil whichwill be light in weight and cheap to manufacture, so that it may beretailed at an attractive gure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter employing a body wherein is positioned the cutter blade and aplurality of cutting elements which cooperate with a movable plunger forslicing the vegetables.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cutting utensil,the plunger of which is tted with a guide for controlling the directionof travel of the plunger and the length of such travel in a forwarddirection, said guide acting as a retriever for returning a potato orother vegetable, after a cutting operation, to a position in front ofthe cutter blade and cutting elements for a further cutting operation.

Other and incidental objects of the invention will render themselvesapparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing forming a part of my application:

Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, and shown in section,illustrating my device ready for use with a vegetable in position for aslicing operation.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figure 1,looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View on the line 3 3 of Figure 2,looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the cutting elementsemployed.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail perspective view of the end portion ofthe retriever carried on the guide employed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numerals ofreference will be seen to designate like parts throughout the severalviews, the numeral I indicates in general a body which is provided witha bottom wall 2 and side flanges 3 and 4. The side flanges 3 and 4extend throughout the major portion of the length of the body I and, aswill be seen clearly in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the body isreduced at one end to dei-lne a handle 5 which is adapted for convenientmanual engagement. The body I may be formed of wood or other suitablematerial. .Formed in the side flanges 3 and 4 and extending throughouttheir entire length are oppcsitely disposed guide slots 6 and 1.Extending through the side Aflanges 3 and 4 at the end of the bodyopposite the handle 5 and through the slots 6 and 1, is a stop rod 8.The stop rod is upset at its end portions so that it will be firmlylocked in place.

The bottom wall 2 is provided at its inner end portion with a series oflongitudinally extending spaced kerfs or slots 9 which are adapted toreceive a plurality of cutting elements I0. I have shown seven of thecutting elements in place but it should be understood that any desirednumber may be employed. The cutting elements are identical inconstruction and, therefore, a description of one will suffice for all.A typical cutting element includes an upstanding cutter II having abeveled sharpened cutting edge I2. The upstanding cutter is providedwith a laterally extending shank I 3 which is rounded near its free end.The shank is undercut to dene a shoulder I4 near its free end. As bestseen in Figure 2 of the drawing, the bottom wall 2 is cut away near itsinner end throughout its entire Width for a distance of substantiallyone-fourth its length, exclusive of the handle. The cutting elements arepositioned in the slots 9 with their cutters I! arranged in a row withthe beveled edges thereof pointing in the direction of the handle 5. Thecutting elements are retained in position by a locking plate I5 which tsin the cut away portion of the wall 2 and engages behind the shouldersof the cutting elements. Screws I6 retain the plate in a position ushwith the surface of the bottom wall 2. It Will be seen that the cuttingelements will be firmly retained in position and will be locked on thebottom wall against movement in either direction.

Mounted on the body I, at the end thereof opposite the handle 5, is amounting plate I1 which is provided with a flat upper surface I8 and abeveled deflecting surface I9. The mounting plate Il has a lower surface20 which is adapted to lie in the same horizontal plane with the lowersurface of the bottom wall 2. The mounting plate is held in position bymeans of screws ZI which extend through the side walls of the flanges 3and 4. A cutter blade 22 has its outer end portion secured to themounting plate i'I by means of screws 23. The longitudinal edges of thecutter blade 22 are positioned in alined relatively narrow slots 24formed in the side flanges 3 and 4. It will be seen that the cutterblade 22 will be limited against upward and downward movement by therelatively narrow slots 24 and will be limited against withdrawal inVeither direction by the screws 23. The height of the mounting plate IIis substantially equal to the height of the cutting elements I0, inoperative position, so that the blade 22 will be mounted for positioningits free or cutting end the pins 33 for retaining the guide in proper asshown at 36,'for instance, or any other fruit portion in overlyingrelation to the corresponding upper ends of the cutters Il of thecutting elements l0. The cutter blade 22 has a cutting edge 24 which isdisposed slightly forwardly of the cutting edges I2 of the cutters ,IlIf desired, the cutting edges 24 and I2 may meet at right angles to eachother at their corresponding forward ends. It is further desired topoint out that the cutter blade 22 is disposed substantially medially ofthe height of the body and extends throughout substantially half thelength of the body i, exclusive of the handle 5.

In order to complete the cutting or slicing of a potato or othervegetable or fruit, I employ a plunger 25 which includes a block 26having a lateral slot 21 in its front face adapted to receive the edge24 of the cutter blade 22. Serrations 28 are formed .on said forwardface to permit ready engagement of the block with the vegetable or iuritto be sliced. A handle 29 is fitted to the top of the block forpermitting ready manual engagement thereof. The block 2B of the plungeris rectangular in shape and is adapted to t snugly but slidably -betweenthe flanges 3 and 4 of the body l, with its lower surface in engagementwith the top surface of the bottom wall 2.

The movement of the block 261 of the plunger 25 `is controlled by meansof a substantially rectangular guide 30 which is formed o-f heavy wireand is provided with legs 3| and 32 which slide longitudinally butsnugly Within the slots 6 and 1. The legs terminate at their free endsin laterally directed anchoring pins 33 which extend from opposite sidesofthe block 26, medially of width, inwardly to terminate in closedopposed spaced relation. Whilethe legs 3l and 32 of the guide 3B will beeffeotually retained in place on the Ablock 26 while said block is innormal position between the flan-ges 3 land 4, I provide brads or nails34 which are passed through the legs 3i and 32 in close proximity to theanchoring pins 33 and are sunk into the material of the block. The guide30 will thus be effectually retained in operative position on theplunger 425. Furthermore, the brads 34 will cooperate with position withrespect to the plunger 25. The forward end of the guide 30 is formed toprovide a zig-zag shaped retriever 35. As best seen in Figures 2 and 5,the bent portions defining .the

retriever are vertically disposed so that said retriever will provideadditional surface to engage a portion of the Vegetable being sliced sothat it may be readily brought back for a further cutting operation.Danger of jumping of the vegetable or fruit over the retriever, whichwould be present were it not for the zig-Zag formation, will beeliminated. Y

As will be observed, the slots 6 and 1 are open at their inner ends sothat the plunger and guide Y' may be drawn rearwardly through said openends of the slots and freed from the body when it is desired to removethe plunger for cleaning or any other purpose.

In use, when it is desired to slice a potato such cr vegetable, saidarticle is first placed on the upper surface of the bottom wall 2, itbeing understood that the plunger 25 Vis first retracted for freeingsaid upper sur-face of the bottom wall 2. The plunger is then manuallyengaged and moved forwardly for forcing the potato or other articlebetween the serrations 28 of the block 25 and the cutting edge'24 of thecutter blade 22 and the cutters Il of the Vcutting elements I0. The

article is sliced horizontally by the cutter 24 and the lower portion ofsaid article is sliced into longitudinal strips by the cutting edges I2of the cutters l l. The deflecting surface I9 of the mounting plate i1will serve to direct the out strips downwardly into a pan or othercontainer which may be conveniently placed beneath the device. The upperportion of the article is moved along the upper surface of the blade 22while the lower surface is being cut into strips. The guide 30 willeffectually control the movement of the plunger and the stop rod 8 willengage the retriever 35 and will limit forward movement of the guide andplunger. After the lower portion of the vegetable has been cut intostrips and it is desired to .continue the cutting operation, it is onlynecessary to retract the plunger v has been, sliced as desired.

Attention is directed to the fact that the block 25, below the lateralslot 21, is provided with vertical slots 31 which will dene projectionsadapted to extend between the cutting elements i0 for effecting readycleaning thereof and preventing the adherence thereto of any portion ofthe cut vegetable between said cutting elements.

It is believed that fromthe foregoing it will be readily understood thatI have provided a simple and highly efficient cutting utensil which maybe manufactured with ease and cheapness and which will be useful as ahousehold article.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In a cutting utensil, a body having a bottom wall formed with a handle,side flanges carried by the body, said bottom wall'being cut away at theend opposite the handle and being formed with slots, cutting elementscarried by the bottom wall and positioned in said slots, said cuttingelements being arranged vertically in a laterally spaced series andbeing formed with shoulders, a locking plate carried in the cut awayportion and adapted to engage the shoulders for retaining the cuttingelements in place, a mounting plate carried by the body, a cutter bladecarried by the mounting plate and adapted toextend within the body, saidcutter blade having Va cutting edgeoverhanging the cutting elements, aplunger carried by the body and movable longitudinally between the sideilanges, said plunger having a block formed with a serrated face, saidserrations being of V-shape, a guide carried by the plunger and formedwith a zig zag retriever, said guide being adapted to control forwardmovement of the plunger in, the body,.and a stop rod for limitingforward movement of said guide and plunger, said plunger being movableAVfor engaging the V-shaped serrations of the block with a vegetable to becut and forcing said vegetable against the cutting elements andthe'blade GEORGE M. FARABOUGH.

